Lemon & Garlic Roast Chicken

So I found this recipe from my all time favorite Ina Garten. To be honest, it was pretty good but I'm not sure if you really need the bacon to cover it. It was pretty easy and my chicken was not 5-6 pounds like in the recipe so maybe that is key. Emi really liked the dark meat like her pop and I made a pretty yummy chicken noodle soup with all of the leftovers. I'll have to post that later.

Here's what you'll need:


Ingredients

• 1 (5-6 pound) roasting chicken
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch fresh thyme (my new favorite herb!)
• 4 lemons
• 3 heads of garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets (gag!). Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan.



Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, reserving enough to garnish the chicken dish, 1 lemon, halved, and 2 halves of garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Cut 2 of the lemons in quarters and scatter the quarters and remaining garlic around the chicken. Lay the bacon slices over the chicken to cover.



Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Remove the bacon slices from the top of the chicken and set aside. Continue roasting the chicken for an additional 1/2 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with foil while you prepare the gravy.

Gravy
Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.

Slice the chicken on a platter and garnish with bacon slices, roasted garlic, reserved thyme, and 1 lemon sliced. Serve with gravy.

* My gravy was not great. When I used my roasting pan I didn't use the rack below the chicken and maybe that was key. It seemed that my gravy never reduced and the garlic and lemon in the roasting pan was burnt. :(